NCJ Number
80134
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 50 Issue: 10 Dated: (October 1981) Pages: 1-6
Date Published
1981
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Prepared for small and middle-sized police agencies with limited resources, this article describes the benefits of driver training for police officers and outlines efficient and inexpensive ways to implement a program.
Abstract
Although driving a vehicle is an activity which an officer performs most frequently and has considerable potential for error, driver training has been overlooked by most police administrators. Automobile accidents caused by aggressive young recruits and older veterans are expensive, and accidents also deplete manpower resources by removing an injured officer from the force and preventing police from arriving on a crime scene. By implementing a driver training program, a local California police department was able to reduce the ratio of property damage to miles driven from .057 cents per mile to .017 cents per mile in 1 year. Police driver training programs can cover many topics, such as laws governing emergency driving, departmental pursuit policy, and personal liability in accidents. A useful method is commentary driving, a process by which the driver continuously describes what he sees and gives the instructor clues to the driver's perceptions. A skid pan can be created in a small space to teach high speed driving techniques while cone exercises develop other driving skills. Old police vehicles can be modified for training purposes, State or city driver training programs will often cooperate, and many public and private concerns have open spaces that can be used as training facilities. Training a few people at a time also keeps costs low. Photographs and a bibliography of over 20 article, books, and films are included.